Cloudpaw's Moonstone Journey

Nightpaw had risen early. Well, that wasn't true exactly - in truth, he hadn't actually slept at all. It'd been two days since Heatherberry's disappearance. He'd never felt so hollow. One of the few cats he'd looked up to, one of the few cats who seemed to really see him, had left or been taken, and it was all his fault. Now ShadowClan was reliant only on him - some kit who was scared of his own shadow and didn't know the first thing about herbs. He barely knew the way to the Moonstone. How could he ever hope to call himself a medicine cat?

But life had to go on. Heatherberry was gone, yes, but ShadowClan wasn't going to stop and wait for Nightpaw to get his bearings. Today, he was to take Cloudpaw to the Moonstone - if he could find it, that was. His paws itched, his heart heavy with dread and grief as he padded to the apprentices' den. Dawn was just beginning to show its face; he'd be surprised if Cloudpaw was awake yet. As he stepped into the darkness of the den, he squinted. He'd talked to Cloudpaw before, he was pretty sure; they played mossball toward the beginning of his apprenticeship. That was before he'd given up on making friends.

"Cloudpaw?" The tom called softly, unable to make out her pelt in the dim light. "It's time to go. I have some traveling herbs for you." He whispered, prodding the bundle of herbs by his front paws. He wasn't sure what Heatherberry had used, exactly, but these had smelled familiar from the two journeys he'd made to Mothermouth so far. He usually had a pretty good memory. Still, anxiety stirred in his belly - what if he messed up and gave her something that made her sick? StarClan, Heatherberry, where are you? How was he supposed to learn everything now?